YHVH

Titus 2:11-14  For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ; Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.

YHVH is the name of God, as revealed in the Bible. Yod, Hey, Vav, Hey: the best anyone can tell, that is the way the Hebrew letters sound individually. To turn it into a word, it needs some vowels. No one knows what those vowels should be. Some have even made a religion out of how it should be said properly. According to them, you have to know, and be able to say it properly to know the true God. Otherwise, your god is a false god. But God isn't a magic genie who responds when you say abracadabra or hocus pocus.

The Israelites would never attempt to enunciate it. They thought, superstitiously, that it might put them in danger of breaking the third commandment. Exodus 20:7, "Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD [YHVH] thy God [Elohim, plural] in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain;..." Traditionally, Jews have replaced the name, YHVH, with Adonai (my Lord) or Hashem (the name).

What does it mean to "take the name of the LORD (YHVH) thy God (Elohim, plural) in vain"?

Vain (from Strong’s concordance, grain of salt recommended):
07723. awv shav', shawv or shav {shav}; from the same as 7722 in the sense of desolating; evil (as destructive), literally (ruin) or morally (especially guile); figuratively idolatry (as false, subjective), uselessness (as deceptive, objective; also adverbially, in vain):--false(-ly), lie, lying, vain, vanity.

To take His name in vain is to use it in hypocrisy or to spread a false message in His name, as in false prophecy, thereby giving Him a bad name. I believe the following is an example of people who have taken His name in vain.

Matthew 7:22-23  Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

Understanding the definition of a word is far more important than the phonetic symbol you use to represent that definition. I wouldn't presume to know how to pronounce YHVH. Are we even using the correct letters when we replace the Hebrew letters with English letters? Does it even matter? What matters is who YHVH is.

Exodus 20:1-3  And God [Elohim, plural] spake all these words, saying, I am the LORD [YHVH] thy God [Elohim, plural], which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

Exodus 20:7  Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.

Deuteronomy 5:11  Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain: for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.

One Baptism

Ephesians 4:5  One Lord, one faith, one baptism,

Water baptism was never necessary. I will have been a believer fifty years this coming Spring. I had been reading the gospels for about a week when I came to realize it was true. Sitting on top of a mountain the day I believed, I prayed to God confessing my belief in His Son and asking for His Holy Spirit to come in to me. The moment I believed and received the Holy Spirit was the moment I was baptized. Adding water to that wouldn't make me any more baptized than I was at that moment. The real baptism is the Holy Spirit in you. The water then becomes pointless. There is nothing wrong with being baptized, but since the Holy Spirit has been given, the water has no more purpose. I am baptized, but it is with the baptism that actually does something.

Mark 1:7-8  …, There cometh one mightier than I after me, the latchet whose shoes I am not worthy to stoop down and unloose. I indeed have baptized you with water: but he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost.

The two key words in this passage are “with” and “but", ”with" denoting “by what method” and "but" showing “exception”. Consider it written this way, “I indeed have baptized you using water, however, He shall baptize you using the Holy Ghost."

John 7:38-39  He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow, rivers of living water. (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified).

This Water is not water, it is Spirit.

Romans 8:9-11  But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. And if Christ bein you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you

John 4:13-14  Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.

All you have to do is ask.

Luke 11:13  If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?

Baptism received!

The apostles continued water baptizing because they didn't yet understand everything in the beginning. Peter didn't understand about the saving of the Gentiles until God gave him a vision. They didn't all agree about the law until they came together to debate it in Acts 15. Paul later understood about baptism.

But Jesus and John the baptist explained it from the beginning. Water baptism was symbolic, pointing to the Holy Spirit, which hadn't been sent yet. Once the Spirit was given, the symbol had no more purpose. We now have the real thing. There are no rituals in Christianity. None of the people who were baptized before Jesus died were saved by it.

Water baptism has no power any more than the animal sacrifices had any power. They were a stand in, a place holder until the real thing came. You must be baptized to be saved. But "baptize" doesn't define the method. It is "with the Holy Spirit" that you must be baptized. Ask and you shall receive. "Repent and be baptized" means to repent and receive the Holy Spirit. The problem is not in the words, the problem is in the understanding.

John 3:30-31  He must increase, but I must decrease. He that cometh from above is above all: he that is of the earth is earthly, and speaketh of the earth: he that cometh from heaven is above all.

John 6:63  It is the Spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are Spirit, and they are life.

The only baptism that counts doesn't use water. Jesus is the only one who can truly baptize. Paul told us precisely why he didn't baptize. He even thanked God for it.

1 Corinthians 1:14  I thank God that I baptized none of you,

1 Corinthians 1:17  For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect.

John 14:26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

Blasphemy Against the Holy Spirit

Mark 3:29  But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation:

Matthew 12:30-32  He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad. Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men. And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come.

Luke 12:8-12 states,

Also I say unto you, Whosoever shall confess me before men, him shall the Son of man also confess before the angels of God: But he that denieth me before men shall be denied before the angels of God. And whosoever shall speak a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but unto him that blasphemeth against the Holy Ghost it shall not be forgiven. And when they bring you unto the synagogues, and unto magistrates, and powers, take ye no thought how or what thing ye shall answer, or what ye shall say: For the Holy Ghost shall teach you in the same hour what ye ought to say.

You must witness to others what you learn from the Holy Spirit. If you are ashamed to confess your faith in Christ, you will not be forgiven. If you fear being ostracized for being different, you will not receive forgiveness. If you deny Christ as Peter denied Christ, you will not be forgiven. In order to have committed this sin, you must first have received the Holy Spirit. Hebrews says,

Hebrews 6:4-6  For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.

Falling away or being an unprofitable Christian after you receive the Holy Spirit is the “blasphemy against the Holy Ghost” (the unforgiven sin). Peter had not yet received the Holy Spirit at the time he denied knowing Christ ( John 7:39 ). Peter denied Christ three times. Christ allowed him to take it back three times.

End Time Synopsis

We are in the time of the first five seals (the beginning of sorrows) and have been since Jesus sat at the right hand of the Father. The sixth seal is the event that begins the day of the Lord (great tribulation). Everything from the sixth seal on is yet to come.

The sixth seal is what comes as a thief in the night. At a time when people are saying "peace and safety" sudden destruction will come. The beast doesn't rise from the pit until the fifth trumpet. The sixth seal through the first four trumpets comes first.

The beast will rise to power from the chaos of those cataclysms. Ordo ab chao / order out of chaos. The rest will transpire relatively quickly; 42 months / 1260 days / 3 1/2 years / a time, times and half a time. Jesus returns at the last / seventh trumpet / armageddon. The first resurrection happens.

We return to Earth with Christ to rule this world, over the mortal people who survive (one taken, one left), for one thousand years. Satan is imprisoned.

At the end of the thousand years, Satan is released to deceive the world once more. After which, he is finally destroyed. The second resurrection happens for judgment.

We separate the sheep from the goats. Whoever isn't left (not found written) in the book of life at the end of judgment will suffer the second death, which is the fire that will destroy this creation and recreate new heavens and a new earth.

God the Father will set His capitol, New Jerusalem, on the new earth and be with us for eternity.

Revelation 21:3  And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.

Matthew 6:10  Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

Revelation 22:20-21  He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.

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